Single Touch Payroll for Developers
STP Developer Resources
Digital Partnership Office (DPO)
The Digital Partnership Office (DPO) is the first point of contact for the software development industry with the ATO.​​
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ATO resources for Digital Service Providers (DSPs)
The ATO has a wide range of services and support to help software developers stay up to date with the latest news and information.
The Online services for DSPs quick start guide (PDF, 970kB) provides a visual handbook on how to access and register for Online services for DSPs. It also demonstrates how to navigate through the various spaces including:
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the service desk, to request support
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the Knowledge Base
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the Collaboration Hub, to access information for your development projects.
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Standard Business Reporting (SBR)
Standard Business Reporting (SBR) provides software developers with a significant opportunity to increase the functionality of their products and simplify the way their clients interact with government services electronically.​
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You can register to develop SBR-enabled products through Online services for Digital service providers (DSPs).
STP Developer Documents
DPO STP Document Library
The library of technical, informative and consultation documents for Single Touch Payroll. Use the design and technical documents to commence your build of Single Touch Payroll.
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SBR2
The ATO held ebMS3 training sessions in February and March 2017 in partnership with ABSIA. The sessions covered information on the consumption of the ATO's ebMS3 services for income tax, superannuation enabling services and Single Touch Payroll, and an SBR2 training package was developed.
DSP Operational Security Framework (DSP OSF)
The growth of the ATO's digital wholesale services increases productivity and community connectivity across the digital economy. This connectivity presents various service opportunities, business risks and security implications. The DSP Operational Security Framework (OSF) is part of the ATO's response to these risks and establishes how the ATO will provide access to and monitor the digital transfer of data through software.
Payroll Event (PAYEVNT) services provide employers or their registered intermediary the ability to meet their Single Touch Payroll (STP) reporting obligations to the ATO.
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The web service messages are exchanged using the ATO ebMS3 protocol with the message payload constructed using the XML format. The SBR AU Dictionary has been used to define the elements within the messages.
STP Phase 2 PAYEVNT.0004.2020 (Parent and Child) Explained
STP Phase 1 was only about reporting the Payment Summary information. Phase 2 is a fundamental shift from reporting income to reporting earnings with Period values calculated on YTD amounts' movements and provides significant granular detail.
To provide context to the foundation framework of STP Phase 2, we have provided a Cheat Sheet below, complementary to the ATO PAYEVNT.0004 2020 Business Implementation Guide (BIG).
ATO PAYEVNT.0004 2020 Business Implementation Guide
The Business Implementation Guide (BIG) is for any DSP that has chosen to build or update their products to allow for STP reporting obligations or to send STP reports as a Sending Service Provider (SSP).
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The Business Implementation Guide (BIG) is the primary guidance document for payroll DSPs and should be read in conjunction with the Message Structure Table (MST). Supplementary guidance such as Position Papers and Guidance Notes will further provide context to support payroll DSPs. The ATO has worked with an industry-based co-design working group to develop the 2020 pay event, including payroll DSPs, payroll associations and a tax practitioner association, all bringing years of experience and expertise to the design. This document describes or interprets how the technical implementation relates to the business context and process and can be relied upon to reflect the final design position. There is a complex array of components that must be taken into consideration by DSPs when designing solutions to meet the ATO requirements for STP: legislative, functional, technical and business guidance.